Scientists discover giant deep-sea coral reef

Scientists on board the research ship Atlantis made an exciting discovery in August 2018. About 160 miles off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, they found a coral reef no one had ever seen before. Located a half-mile below the ocean’s surface, the reef is about 85 miles long. Live corals are growing on giant mounds of old, dead corals that could date back hundreds of thousands of years. The Atlantis and its scientists are part of a project called Deep Search. The goal of the project is to identify sensitive ocean habitats and make them safe from oil exploration.